Altitude: This
is also an altitude dive at 150 metres.
Water Temp: 5- 10 degrees
Visibility: Normally vis is
excellent in the
quarry, also in the tunnels but care must be taken not to kick up the
silt, so good buoyancy control is a must.
Gas: None available - nearest
location for gas will be Capernwray.
Required Experience: Definitely
Club Diver and above with min 40 dives and experience of Over Head
environments.
Amenities: None -
nearest town is Kendal.
Site Safety: This
site is a high level risk
area. Located well off the beaten track in the Lake District you are
open to the elements. Emergency
services can only get to you via the access road from the edge of the
quarry, not much chance of getting the air ambulance in either. The
main road is a good 2-3 miles away.
Be aware
Definitely bring an O2 kit with you and good surface cover is a must.
Mobile phone reception is very poor, the nearest landline is at the
keepers cottage but that is a good 10 mins away.
Wildlife: Lots of beautiful
scenery not too much life in the quarry itself though.
Attractions: The tunnel system and
there is
also a tranisit van in the quarry at about 22 metres. There is also a
sump and an inverted cone to investigate this is shallow. 4/5
metres.
990
Magazine Article (5.3MB)
Site Access: To access the site
requires walking in full kit through a 200 metre semi-flooded tunnel
and then climbing down a scaffolding ladder and scambling across a
slate to the enrty area. Do not attempt this unless you are physically
up to it.
NB -
the track to the site from the road is a gravelled one but only
suitable for cars with good ground clearance and the track does get
muddy when it has been raining.
Site
Description: An old slate quarry - depth is roughly 30 metres,
although this changes after each rock fall. Land slips are quite
frequent and have blocked at least one of the cave entrances. Thus this
is not a dive for the novice. The caves should only be attempted by
those properly trained and equipped as fatalities have
occurred. At
around 24 meters a
small tunnel entrance can
be found. Ensure
you are trainined with overhead environments and running thirds. The
tunnels are quite narrow and although the visibility can seem excellent
it wont be on the way out. The main shaft is 126 meters long
and
has three chambers running off it , it is pitch black with no ambient
light. There is one rope leading the full length of the central cavern
straight to chamber three with subsidiary ropes of a different colour
running of it into chamber 1 and 2 there is one way in and one way out
the secondary entry/exit point has now fallen in if you want to go
ahead.
Do not dive once frost has set in as this
causes large chunks of wall to shear off, plus the water is cold all
year round.
Not for the
faint
hearted!
Entry: £5 per
car
Issues:
- There is poor phone reception
- nearest landline in cottage
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